Could you tell us a bit more about the energy so-lutions provided by Rock-et Batteries?

We at Rocket Batteries are focusing on the new energy solutions by several initia-tives such as development of the new lithium batteries, batteries for E Rickshaws & E bikes, Integrated power sys-tems for the Small & medium Enterprises, the Energy stor-age systems for the large in-dustries as a green initiative to replace the fuel consum-ing solutions.

Electrical energy in the form of electric vehicles is a major focus for the Au-tomotive sector. What strides are Rocket Batter-ies making in this space?

We at Rocket batteries are developing the Solutions for the E-vehicles in the form of Maintenance free lead acid

batteries & the Li-on battery packs to create sustainable energy source to replace the current conventional fuel de-pendant automobiles. We are also investing on localising the above mentioned prod-ucts under the Make in India initiative.

AN ET EDGE INITIATIVE

The global economy might have slowed down in recent years, but the Indian econo-

my has bucked this trend for quite some time. It thus follows to rea-son that the Indian automotive industry has contin-ued to pick up veloc-ity and sales across all segments have seen robust num-bers recorded in the recent past.

No industry can stand still and rest on its accolades though, and this is particularly true of the auto-motive industry. A century after Henry Ford introduced the mov-ing assembly line, the automotive industry has come a long way, in-tegrating banks of robots, com-puters and other automation into

a high-tech manufacturing pro-cess to produce more reliable, connected and intelligent cars. Today the entire value chain has evolved and uses technology in some form or the other.

Technology and inno-vation are playing key roles from product design to production planning, engineer-

ing, execution and services.The Economic Times DriveTech

Summit brought together key stakeholders of the automotive ecosystem as they discussed the innovations and technologies that hold the potential to shape the space and help it spring past roadblocks that might crop up along the way.

Paving the path for successTECHNOLOGY PLAYS A PIVOTAL ROLE IN ADVANCING THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY, AND THE ECONOMIC

TIMES DRIVETECH 2017 HIGHLIGHTED DISRUPTIVE TRENDS THAT HAVE SHAPED THE INDUSTRY

How does Total Lubricants ensure they deliver the best products and services to cus-tomers?

Total lubricants products are formulated with the cutting edge R&D and close relations with the leading OEMs worldwide. It meets the requirements of the global certifications standards for different applications. The products are tested in the most demanding world of motor-sports and real world situations. Blended in state-of-the-art blending plant in Mumbai and delivered to the customers with services of a professional sales and service teams

In India, Total has a strong R&D centre (TCAP – Technical Centre Asia Pacific) which caters to the customized needs of Indian and Asia-Pacific OEMs. Total India is amongst the fastest growing lubricant company with strong position in the automo-tive and Industrial products

ANAC is a fascinating lube oil analysis service without disassembly constraint. Could you tell us more about

this?ANAC stands for ANAlysis

Compared. With its strong exper-tise, Total provides a full range of lube oil analysis adapted for any automotive and industrial appli-cation. From a simple oil sam-pling, TOTAL ANAC establishes a thorough diagnosis of all me-chanical parts (engine, transmis-sions, hydraulics) of your equip-ment without disassembly constraint.

ANAC (abbrev iat ion for ANAlysis Compared) is Total ‘s corporate lube oil analysis and diagnosis system. ANAC is a range of dedicated fluid analysis

routines, adapted for any auto-motive and industrial applica-tion.

From a simple oil sampling, TOTAL ANAC establishes a thor-ough diagnosis of all mechanical parts (engine, transmissions, hy-draulics) of your equipment without disassembly constraint.Our ANAC oil checker stands out on two levels: � The application of the most

advanced oil analysis tech-niques in a brand new state of the art European analysis centre

A unique database:� for automotive: on calculated

wear limits for every automo-tive component part (engine oil analysis, gearbox oil analy-sis, axle oil analysis, hydraulic oil analysis, synthetic oil anal-ysis, cooling liquid analysis, …) and fluid (oil and cool-ants) characteristics

� for industry: specific con-demning limits for all Total Industrial oils, taking into ac-count the oil characteristics (oil viscosity, oil contamina-tion…), additivation and ap-plication.

Power-packed solutions that make a difference

Total commitment to excellence

>> Technology has impacted the entire automotive value chain and we are witnessing innovation across product design, production planning, engineering, execution and services, to name a few areas that have been impacted by advances. The Economic Times DriveTech Summit provid-ed a platform to not only highlight technologies and trends shaping the sector, but also showcase the work of design-ers that are truly pathbreaking.

ET Edge - SPEAK:DEEPAK LAMBA, PRESIDENT, TIMES STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS LTD.

As written by Karan Karayi � Letters may be addressed to Karan.Karayi@timesgroup.com

“The future of this industry is now in the hands of so many people who in various ways influence this industry and whose actions are not always

predictable. However, what is certain is that motorization of India will proceed, it will happen. One of the most aspirational products that one desires to have is a car. What kind of technology the cars will use, what kind of cars will be made, whether we will have driverless cars is something only time will show.”

“Technology is something which is always in the forefront of making life better for people across all walks of life. It has always been so and will continue to be so. This is equally true of the automotive sector, where we have seen enormous advances in the last few decades.”

RC BHARGAVA Chairman, Maruti India

“An IIT Kanpur study said that vehicles are a very small part of India’s particulate emissions problem. This is not to say the issue should be ignored. We

have to take charge of these problems. Hybrids are a future step to solving this issue and the way we see it is that we are offering plug-in hybrids currently and in a few years we will offer fully electric vehicles.”

TOM VON BONSDORFF Managing Director, Volvo Cars

“A key quality that makes a designer successful is tapping the pulse of the market he is designing for. And this takes continuous research and learning

not only of the specific market but global trends that enable you to have the most relevant approach to the project."

AKSHAI VARDE Founder & MD, Vardenchi

“The re-shaping of the automotive industry to electric has been happening for good. This is exactly where all of the new age electric start-ups

step in. Our attempt is to re-define mobility and transport solutions and do that with a non-harmful, powerful, sustainable and futuristic approach. From power production to technologies that will power our cars, this community intend to create a very sustainable eco-system.”

SARTHAK PAULCEO, Mean Metal Motors

"In the Automotive industry, we are at a fascinating and quite challenging time where we see unprecedented technological advancements. On

the one hand, industry is moving away from fossil fuels into more greener alternatives. On the other hand, automobiles are loaded with technologies to actively assist the driver and gradually moving towards full autonomy. These new directions are forcing an upgrade to the entire existing framework and enforcing tighter regulations. There is a lot of cross-learning on issues among senior executives to figure how we can collectively contribute to the overall automotive and product story of the country."

RAFIQ SOMANICountry Manager- South Asia Pacific and

Middle East, ANSYS

“A key quality that makes a designer successful is

How is Bajaj Allianz General In-surance leveraging technology to deliver greater value to custom-ers?

With every new initiative we at Bajaj Allianz GIC travel an extra mile to pro-vide value to our customers. Given the highly competitive insurance land-scape in the country, many a times the difference lies in the value addition that a product or service provides. Drivesmart is one such value addition that allows us to take our relationship with our customer beyond insurance by leveraging on technology. Drive Smart is the first telematics based solu-tion in the Indian insurance industry and it lays down the foundation for evolving insurance models like PAYD (Pay As You Drive) in the country. It pro-vides valuable insights to customers on their driving habits and health of their vehicle through an easily understand-able user interface. It also allows the company to offer rewards and engage with its customers better by rewarding good driving behavior. Apart from Drivesmart, other examples of usage of technology are Claims by Direct Click in Motor and Health line of business, where we use technology to settle claims instantly. Bajaj Allianz GIC was the pioneer in setting up digital offices called ‘Virtual Satellite Offices’ which has enabled the company to take insur-ance to the remotest corners of India. These offices are run on mobile tablets through an application that has all the essential processes required to run an office configured under one app.

How does Drive Smart help ce-ment Bajaj Allianz General Insur-ance’s connection with its cus-tomers?

With DriveSmart, the company has shifted a product centric insurance policy to a customer centric motor in-surance policy. It promises a complete user experience with high levels of engagement via gamification and so-cial media integration, incentivizing the insured’s driving habits. The Drive Smart service offering comes with 12

unique features which amplify the in-surance coverage from merely a poli-cy document to all round features of safety, security, savings and conveni-ence. These include features like 24*7 Roadside Assistance, alerts on over speeding, rash driving, geo-fencing, car servicing, engine and battery health indicators etc.

What are the benefits of Drive Smart for the modern, evolved consumer?

The modern evolved customer seeks personalized solutions from service providers in all purchase as-pects. They expect year round com-munication from the merchandises, and want them to serve additional benefits apart from the usual services. This is where the DriveSmart add-on makes a difference as compared to the traditional motor insurance poli-cies which are worthwhile only during a claims scenario. DriveSmart uses the big data technology and connects the car owners with specs and various other crucial aspects of their cars, em-phasizing on preventive measures and alerting them in case of any unde-sirable developments. With the help of the app, the customers can avail customized details on any road trip they undertake, can get alerts for their insurance/PUC/license renewals, can geo-fence their cars etc. The app pro-vides a complete engagement envi-ronment for car users, and takes BAGIC’s relationship with them, be-yond insurance!

We chat with Prakash Jonnalagadda, CEO & Executive Director, Lubricants Division, Total Oil India, about the manner in which better energy solutions are being made possible

Leveraging technology to the fullest

We speak with Sourabh Chatterjee, Head IT, Websales, Digital & Direct Marketing, Bajaj

Allianz General Insurance’s on the company’s staunch commitment to

harnessing the latest technologies

Dipak Gandhi, Chairman & Managing Director, Rocket Batteries, talks of the energy solutions powering the ascent of the automotive industry

"We at Rocket batteries are developing the Solutions for the E-vehicles in the form of

Maintenance free lead acid batteries & the Li-on battery packs to create sustainable energy source to replace the current conventional fuel dependant automobiles."

The digitization of the automotive industry is brought under the scanner by Rachna Nath, Partner and Head of Digital Consulting Services, KPMG; Sarthak Paul, CEO, Mean Metal Motors; M.SelvaRathinam, Managing Director, SAF Holland India and S Balachandran, Vice President-Marketing, WABCO